Henry gives himself every opportunity, reckons NZ coach Jurgensen

For Matt Henry, New Zealand's summer has been a story about straddling two worlds. Not part of the original Test squad for the tour of India, he ended up playing the last two Tests after an injury to Tim Southee. Then it was back to domestic cricket. When Trent Boult was missing for the second home Test against Pakistan, Henry got another game. Then it was back to domestic cricket.

His one-day career has been pretty similar. In the side one week, out the next. When he wasn't straddling those two worlds, he was falling in between - picked in the New Zealand squad but carrying drinks. That's the story of a 25-year-old fast bowler who finds himself sitting behind Southee, Boult and Neil Wagner in the pecking order. More than three years after his international debut, Henry has eight Tests and 30 ODIs, despite taking 4 for 93 on Test debut and 58 wickets at 25 in ODIs.

Little wonder, then, that New Zealand's bowling coach Shane Jurgensen had nothing but good feelings for the seamer after a day when Henry equalled those career-best figures of 4 for 93. Having picked up two wickets on a rain-shortened opening day, Henry added two more on Sunday (March 26) as New Zealand bowled South Africa out for 314. "I thought it was awesome, because he's been waiting all summer to get an opportunity," said Jurgensen.

Henry is what many would regard as a classical new-ball bowler, and his dismissals suggested as much. While two of them came off the edge of the bat, as a probing line found reward, the other two were from short balls. On Day 1, JP Duminy was unable to control a bouncer, while on Day 2, Temba Bavuma chased one that was too wide to be pulled.

"What I like about his bowling is it's all energy, 100% energy the whole time. He reminds me of a few bowlers where I come from, like Andy Bichel," said Jurgensen, who is an Australian. "He continues to run in and presents himself, bowls aggressively. Every now and then, he doesn't quite execute, but that happens. He gives himself every opportunity. He's a really good new-ball bowler. I'm really happy for him."

Jurgensen mentioned how proud he was of New Zealand's bowlers, given the lack of experience in an attack that is missing Southee and Boult for the first time since July 2012. But once again it was a case of an opportunity missed by the home side, as they allowed South Africa to recover from 190 for 6. Quinton de Kock was again the man who did the damage.

"It wasn't so much what we bowled, we just didn't quite execute. We didn't quite get it right after a rain break, which is a shame because the boys warmed up properly and were ready to go," said Jurgensen. "You have those periods. There are always one or two good partnerships in an innings and there was one at the end we didn't want, but that happens."

The damage done by de Kock and the lower order was to some extent negated by New Zealand's opening partnership, which saw Tom Latham and Jeet Raval take the hosts to 67 without loss at Stumps. After a torrid run of form in which he had scored just 26 runs in six innings across formats, Latham's unbeaten 42 represented a welcome return to form, and Jurgensen suggested that the two sharp catches in the field - one of them a blinder at short leg to get rid of Faf du Plessis - had set the opener on his way.

"Tom has worked really hard. He got some confidence even with his fielding. His slips' catching was excellent," said Jurgensen. "I think he took that into his batting today. Those things are important in international cricket. He's walked into the dressing room tonight after a great partnership and there was a lot of support for him. The boys were being very vocal."